


candy cane kisses

by carrieevew



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - The Princess Switch (2018) AU, Artist Clarke Griffin, Bellarke Secret Santa, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Romance, F/M, Fluff, Prince Bellamy, Switching Places
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:33:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28325385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carrieevew/pseuds/carrieevew
Summary: Picking up the bag she’d dropped, Clarke had a thought that she really should start paying more attention to her surroundings. She was about to apologise to the woman she nearly mowed down, when she actually looked at her and for a split second, she worried that she may have hit her head——because the woman she walked into looked just like Clarke.As in, looking-at-yourself-in-one-of-those-carnival-mirrors similar. Not an exact copy, but enough that it made Clarke doubt that she was seeing correctly. She just stood there, frozen and staring.“Holy shit!” the woman exclaimed, grabbing Clarke’s elbow and shaking her, like she was checking if she was really there. Her eyes were popping and she gaped.Yeah, Clarke could relate.a Bellarke / JobrielPrincess SwitchAU
Relationships: Bellamy Blake/Clarke Griffin, Josephine Lightbourne/Gabriel Santiago | Xavier
Comments: 10
Kudos: 78
Collections: Bellarke Secret Santa 2020





	candy cane kisses

**Author's Note:**

  * For [safeandsound13](https://archiveofourown.org/users/safeandsound13/gifts).



> for [Max](https://captaindaddykru.tumblr.com/) from her Bellarke Secret Santa
> 
> title from [Under the Tree](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owra7MMUKJU) by Sam Palladio, from _Princess Switch 2_.
> 
> enjoy and happy holidays! 🎄🎄🎄

Clarke prepared for the morning rush, watching Gabriel shovel the snow away from the entrance. Seemed a little futile, seeing how it was still snowing, but they were opening in 15 minutes and it was better than risking one of their customers slipping and breaking something—neither one of them actually finished med school after all.

The bell above the door chimed when Monty and Harper came inside, shaking the snow off of themselves. Harper ran her hand over her swollen belly and waved to Clarke with the other.

Clarke started on the tea for the four of them and waited as they all prepared for the day.

She and Gabriel had been running their artist cafe for almost four years now, ever since Clarke decided against going to med school and unexpectedly reunited with her childhood friend, Gabriel, and found out he actually dropped out a few years earlier himself.

Clarke had already decided she wanted to work with art instead and Gabriel had just finished a business course, so it felt like serendipity, when one afternoon, they were walking down the street in Clarke’s neighbourhood and passed an old coffee shop for lease—they practically took it on the spot and together, they built their little dream—a cafe on one side and an arts gallery on the other.

It took some time and a lot of work but eventually, they carved a little corner for themselves and everyday Clarke came in, she smiled at the sight of the café.

Now, years later, things were still going great—and with Christmas just around the corner, they were about to get very busy, both with people bustling around town, looking for a break with a good coffee and those who came in to pick up gifts from their now vast and diverse offer.

When Gabriel finally came inside, they wiped off all the melted snow they all dragged in and each with a mug of tea in hand, it was time to open. And just as it always was this close to Christmas, they didn’t have to wait long for a proper crowd to gather.

Later, after they dealt with the afternoon crowd, Clarke allowed herself to sit down and scroll through the notifications on her phone. There was an email from her mother filled with new photos from her honeymoon and Clarke smiled at the screen as the pictures loaded. Abby had married Marcus a few months earlier but it wasn’t until December that they could finally go and do what they wanted most—a literal trip around the world. Her mother apologised profusely for being away for the holidays but Clarke waved her off, genuinely happy for her and excited to hear all the stories they’d bring back.

Still, it did sting just a little to spend Christmas away from her mum.

They still had a few hours before closing, when the door swung open and Madi ran in, shaking the snow from her hair. She tossed her bag under Clarke’s desk and dropped down on the chair opposite her with all the weight of her sixteen-year-long life.

Without a word or a moment’s delay, Gabriel brought her a large mug of hot chocolate. It was their little ritual after all, ever since Clarke started to volunteer in the community centre near the café and met Madi, who was taking dance lessons there. Thanks to their Big Sister programme, Clarke found herself taking care of the twelve-year-old girl and with time, they all truly did become a family—with Madi spending her afternoons at the café, where she was able to find all sorts of help with her homework, from an extraordinarily educated group of people. Monty was getting his PhD in engineering after all.

Madi took a large gulp of the hot chocolate and shot Gabriel a knowing look.

“Did you tell her yet?” she asked excitedly, pointing her thumb at Clarke. Gabriel shook his head and Clarke’s eyebrows shot up, heart rate spiking. She was not a fan of surprises.

“Tell me what?” she asked, voice hitching.

Gabriel rolled his eyes, surely recognising the slight panic. He came over from the momentarily empty counter, carrying a handful of papers and it did absolutely nothing to calm her down.

“I promise, it’s nothing bad,” he said, handing Clarke the papers.

She cocked an eyebrow. “Why don’t I believe you?”

Still, she took the papers and looked through them. It looked like a tourist guide and an offer of a trip to Arkadia. Clarke frowned, not sure what to make of it. The small European country of Arkadia was where her father’s family had originally come from and Jake did always say that he wanted to take his family for a visit, but something always got in the way—first his job, then his illness and after he died, the subject sort of died with him.

“Merry Christmas!” Madi exclaimed, grinning.

Startled, Clarke looked up at her and saw the excited look on her face. She grew more and more confused, until she looked at another page and saw a confirmation for three plane tickets and a week-long stay in Arkadia.

“I—what?”

Gabriel smiled at her gently. “You did always say you wanted to go.”

Clarke’s jaw dropped. “We’re going to Arkadia?” she stuttered. “Now?!”

“Yes!” Madi was practically jumping in her seat, nodding her head.

Clarke looked back at Gabriel and huffed. “But we can’t now—we can’t close so close to Christmas.”

“We won’t have to,” Gabriel explained, dragging a spare chair from one of the tables and sitting down next to Clarke. Her eyes followed him but she was still a little dazed.

“Harper is 4 months pregnant, she and Monty aren’t going anywhere this year, they agreed to take care of the café for the week, seemed quite eager about the extra money. And we still would’ve closed for the weekend of, so it’s actually only a few days.”

Automatically, Clarke looked over to the counter and saw Harper and Monty looking back at her with encouraging smiles. Clarke let out a small chuckle. She turned to Madi then.

“What about your aunt?” she asked, thinking about the girl’s most recent guardian, her mother’s distant cousin who came through last year. “Is she okay with that?”

Madi snorted, unimpressed. “You mean, is she okay with me being gone for a whole week, so she could go off parting somewhere?” she asked with sarcasm dripping and a sour smirk.

True enough, her aunt was a bit flighty but she had a decent enough job and provided Madi with a more-or-less stable environment, so it worked for them. Especially since Madi spent most of her time with her friends or Clarke, anyway.

Clarke took it as enough of an answer but she still wasn’t sure about this whole thing. It felt like tempting fate, for them to leave their business unsupervised. No offence to Monty and Harper, but Clarke was a bit of a control freak, she felt no shame in admitting that.

Obviously, Gabriel recognised that as well.

“Look, Clarke, I get that you’re worried but trust me, you deserve some time off, we all do. And we are doing well enough that we can afford a week-long holiday every half a decade,” he convinced with a smirk.

Clarke pursed her lips but frankly, she didn’t have anything. Mostly because her friend was right.

Finally, she scrunched up her face and sighed.

“I guess we’re going, then,” she said and laughed when Madi started screaming.

***

Arkadia was breath-taking.

Clarke knew that is sounded cheesy as hell but still, from the moment they stepped off the plane and she had a chance to look around, she felt like she’d landed in the middle of a fairy-tale.

The whole country seemed hardly any bigger than the district the three of them lived, never mind the whole city of Chicago. And it was quite obvious that everyone there had been overtaken by the Christmas spirit. Street after street, every store-front, every private window was decorated and it all made the city look like it was ripped straight out of one of those Christmas romance movies.

Clarke loved it.

Even Madi, who tried to look as above-it-all as possible, was glued to the car window, taking in the views. And when they reached the cabin that Gabriel had rented for them, she was the first one inside, claiming a room for herself.

Despite the jet lag, they spent the first afternoon roaming around the neighbourhood, not willing to waste the time. The three of them walked all the way to a small square where a Christmas market was set up. They wandered from one booth to the other and Clarke could barely stop herself from buying all the cute knick-knacks she could find.

Gabriel stuck around the food area, tasting everything and trying to c0nvince some of the vendors to share their recipes. Meanwhile, Madi had run off to a small stage in the corner of the square, where a children’s choir sang carols, accompanied by the students from the Arkadia Dance Academy, performing short routines. It was no wonder that the girl was practically glued to the stage, following every step the dancers made. A school like that had been Madi’s dream for as long as Clarke had known her.

When Gabriel finally gave up on poaching the secrets from the vendors, he joined Madi in front of the stage, carrying a mug of some mystery concoction that put smiles on both their faces. Clarke pulled out her phone and switched on the camera, taking a quick picture of the two of them. And then, the flood gates have opened and it was like she had to photograph everything.

She was so focused of the pictures that she all but stepped in front of a car driving by. She jerked to halt in the last moment and yet, the driver still felt the need to use the horn on her, drawing the attention of everyone around. Mildly embarrassed but not at all deterred, Clarke went back to taking pictures—after throwing a rude gesture towards the car; never mind the fact that it had long since driven away.

Blowing a raspberry, she walked back to the market and joined Gabriel and Madi, who barely even noticed her—too focused on the performance in front of her.

***

On the third day, as per their agreement, they all went by the local museum.

It’s not that Gabriel and Madi _didn’t_ want to come, it’s just that museums have always been more of a Clarke thing, so it was no wonder that after barely an hour, they split up—Gabriel and Madi left Clarke behind, so she could wander about, not worrying about them.

She wasn’t sure how much time she spent there, completely lost the track of time until she got to the last room and received a text from Madi, saying that they had already finished their coffee and were waiting for her—but only for a while, before they’d come back, looking for her.

Clarke smiled to herself, seeing the string of emojis, following the message. She was so distracted that she walked straight into someone.

Picking up the bag she’d dropped, Clarke had a thought that she really should start paying more attention to her surroundings. She was about to apologise to the woman she nearly mowed down, when she actually looked at her and for a split second, she worried that she may have hit her head—

—because the woman she walked into looked just like Clarke.

As in, looking-at-yourself-in-one-of-those-carnival-mirrors similar. Not an exact copy, but enough that it made Clarke doubt that she was seeing correctly. She just stood there, frozen and staring.

“Holy shit!” the woman exclaimed, grabbing Clarke’s elbow and shaking her, like she was checking if she was really there. Her eyes were popping and she gaped.

Yeah, Clarke could relate.

“ _Holy shit_!” she repeated and it was that, what finally pulled Clarke out of the shock—her voice was different. More high pitched, more—well, different.

“Yeah,” she finally stuttered, rubbing at her eyes for good measure.

The woman in front of her was grinning now, her arms crossed over her chest.

“What are you supposed to be, my long lost twin?” she asked, smirking.

Clarke huffed. “I could ask you the same thing.”

They both just stood there for a moment, measuring each other top to bottom, when someone jogged into the room and startled them.

“Clarke, what are you— _fuck_!” Gabriel shouted, skidding to a sudden stop next to her. He looked from Clarke to the other woman, blinking in shock.

He turned to Clarke and opened his mouth but no words came out. He shot one more glance at the woman and looked back at Clarke.

“Wow,” he finally settled on, confusion still distorting his features.

The woman watched him with interest. She pulled out her hand towards him with a smile.

“Josephine Lightbourne,” she introduced herself, looking at Gabriel.

“Gabriel Santiago,” he answered, taking her hand. They were staring at each other with heat in their eyes.

Clarke rolled hers.

“I’m Clarke, by the way,” she added, giving a mocking wave of her hand. Josephine shot her a glance, like she’d already forgotten Clarke was even there.

“Right, of course,” Josephine said, absentminded. She shook her head and hummed, now staring at Clarke. Her eyes narrowed and she smiled triumphantly. “Tourists, right?” she asked, pointing her finger between Clarke and Gabriel.

They nodded and Josephine’s smile widened. “How would you like to become a princess for a weekend?” she asked, grinning wickedly.

Clarke’s jaw dropped. A what now?

Josephine huffed a chuckled, noticing her reaction. “Well, it would be more like _treated_ like a princess.”

Clarke blinked rapidly. “You’re gonna have to explain cause so far, I’d very much like to see a doctor and get checked for concussion.”

Josephine huffed, like she was growing impatient. “My father arranged a marriage for me, you see,” she finally said. “I come from and old family in Sanctum and he believes that a match like this will bring our countries together and strengthen both families. So I’m supposed to marry the crown prince of Arkadia on New Year’s Day—which is pretty soon, right?”

Clarke and Gabriel both nodded, looking between each other, confused again.

“It means that I have less than two weeks before I won’t be able to scratch my head without the whole damn country talking about it. I’ve been trying to figure out how to slip away for a while and do something crazy and here you are!” Josephine exclaimed excitedly. Then, she noticed she’d lost them.

“I suggest we switch,” she explained slowly.

Clarke burst into laughter but then, she saw Josephine’s expression and realised the woman wasn’t joking.

“You’re serious,” she said, frowning. “How can that possibly work? We’re not actually the same person—or even identical. Don’t you think your fiancé will notice a difference?!”

Clarke stared at Josephine, who scoffed and waved her hand dismissively. “He won’t know any better cause he isn’t here. Besides, we’ve only met twice, at like, charity galas.”

“You’re marrying a stranger? You don’t mind that?” Gabriel interjected, voice tinted with a hint of worry and if Clarke wasn’t so completely out of whack, she probably would’ve appreciated how sweet it was of him to care.

“It’s how it is with royalty,” Josephine waved him off. “Besides, I can live with becoming a queen—eventually.”

Clarke raised her hands. “Wait, wait, I need a moment,” she sighed. “You’re actually suggesting that I just take your place for a weekend while you go off partying, before you marry a fricking prince. And you genuinely believe it’s gonna work because we live in a movie,” she recapped, exasperated.

Josephine grimaced. “It’s not gonna be that hard. I’ll book you a couple of days in a spa, no-one’s gonna bother you and if you need to go outside, you can just put on a big hat and sunglasses and no-one will know the difference. And I can just ask your friend here to keep me company,” she smiled at Gabriel.

Clarke ran her hand through her hair. “It’s crazy, you know that, right?”

Josephine shrugged. “Eh, maybe a little. But I need this and I’ll give you whatever you want.”

Clarke glanced at Gabriel, who still looked a little green around the gills but he was also not cackling right now, like she expected him to. Instead, he was staring at Josephine and smiled every time she looked at him back. Clarke rolled her eyes. Her friend was clearly infatuated with Josephine, so he probably lost all his reason.

And then, Clarke’s phone vibrated in her pocket and she saw Madi texted her a string of question marks. Clarke chuckled, realising that Gabriel had completely forgotten that he was supposed to fetch her so they could all leave. She looked at her phone background, at a picture of her an Madi, and an idea came to her.

“Do you know someone at the dance academy?” Clarke asked all of a sudden, startling Josephine and Gabriel, who were making heart eyes at each other.

Josephine frowned. “No offence, but I think you may be a little too old to join.”

“Funny,” Clarke countered. “It’s for my little sister,” she explained, not having the energy to go into the details of her relationship with Madi. “All I want is an audition for her.”

“Deal,” Josephine agreed. “You give me this weekend off and she’s in, full scholarship.”

She pulled her hand and they shook on in.

There was a strange taste in Clarke’s mouth but she ignored it. The prince was away and Josephine wasn’t expected in the palace until Christmas Eve. What could possibly go wrong?

***

Madi nearly choked from laughing when they told her. Which, okay, fair enough. It was a plenty ridiculous situation.

Nonetheless, all their jaws dropped to the floor when the four of them arrived at Josephine’s luxurious hotel room for a quick download of the entire situation.

Josephine’s assistant, Jade, took in their revelations with nothing more than an unimpressed shrug and Clarke decided that if finding out her boss found herself a stand-in so that she could go out incognito didn’t even get a rise out of Jade, she’d rather not even think about what sort of a thing might get a reaction.

They spent the next couple of hours teaching Clarke all about the Lightbournes and the Blakes – the royal family of Arkadia, and prince Bellamy himself. Unsurprisingly, Josephine herself had the least to contribute in that department and it only confirmed Clarke’s conviction that she had very little interest in her future husband and probably only agreed to marry him on her father’s request.

Quite frankly, it broke her heart a little bit for the both of them. Neither Josephine nor Bellamy were in it for a loving relationship and royal family or not, it was somewhat depressing. And she couldn’t really blame Josephine for wanting to have a little fun before.

So, Clarke studied the chart that Josephine prepared for her, trying to remember all the uncles and cousins, and with Jade’s help they even managed to figure out that the Griffins and Lightbournes might have actually have come from the same family tree, a long time ago.

And then, Josephine changed into Clarke’s clothes, hooked her hand around Gabriel’s elbow and they were gone, leaving Madi behind with Clarke. Well, Gabriel did offered her their company but Madi decided she’d much rather experience the royal treatment while she still could, instead of witnessing whatever Josie had in mind for her last blow out.

Now that there were just the two of them, Clarke and Madi started off with a fancy serving of tea and biscuits—as soon as they were done raiding Josephine’s closet. They sat down in the plushy armchairs wearing fancy dresses, jewellery and the two biggest hats they could find. They were laughing their asses off, nearly spilling the tea, when someone knocked on the door—and Clarke almost chocked on the biscuit.

She scrambled up to answer the door, looking like a kid who stole her mother’s clothes. But it wasn’t like she could’ve just ignored the visitor. Whoever it was, knocked again and called Josephine’s name, so he obviously expected to see her inside. Clarke could only hope it wasn’t anything important.

She opened the door and cursed inwardly because on the other side of the door she found Bellamy Blake, the crown prince of Arkadia, smiling politely. He blinked once when he saw her, his smile faltering, overshadowed by confusion when he took her in.

“Lady Josephine,” he addressed her and Clarke’s insides warmed up; she didn’t expect him to have such a deep voice and the picture Jade had shown her did absolutely nothing for his freckles. Belatedly, she curtsied and welcomed him inside.

“Are you going somewhere?” he asked, casually. Clarke frowned for a split second before she remembered what she looked like.

She cleared her throat and smoothed down the front of her dress. “Oh, no, I’m just picking up clothes to donate and I’m trying them on to see what to give away,” she explained, saying the first thing that came to mind, and only barely stopped herself from wincing,

“You’re donating the clothes you brought here from home?” the prince asked, his eyebrows jumping up.

Clarke hesitated. “Um, well, I forgot to do it before we left so I just packed it all up and took it with me,” she rambled, forcing out a smile. Well, at least he smiled back, then.

“If you don’t mind my asking,” Clarke said rubbing her hand together. “But what are you doing here? I thought you were away.” Josephine all but swore to it, actually.

The prince swallowed and looked at his shoes. He tugged at the lapels of his jacket and Clarke could’ve sworn he was nervous. Despite herself, a genuine smile tugged at her lips.

“I haven’t left yet, actually, not until the morning” he said. “I just came by to welcome you to Arkadia.”

Clarke felt a blush blooming on her cheeks and she had to bite her tongue to keep her cool. He wasn’t actually being nice to _her_ , wasn’t he?

“Aww, isn’t that sweet,” Madi said from deeper inside the room, causing Clarke to jump. She forgot Madi was even there.

The girl got up, also dressed like she was about the attend a Halloween party as a fashion accident, and walked over to Clarke.

“You must be the royal highness,” she said to the prince, pulling her hand out.

He took it with a grin. “Bellamy, yes. It’s nice to meet you—?”

“Madi, I’m Cl—“

“She’s my sister!” Clarke interrupted, hearing her almost say the wrong name. Madi slapped her hand over her own mouth, eyes wide.

Not as wide as Bellamy’s, though. His head snapped to Clarke, mouth open.

“I didn’t know you had siblings,” he said, puzzled.

Clarke whined quietly. “I don’t, Madi’s—” she hesitated. But no good lie came to her. “We’re not related, I met her a few years ago when I was volunteering at a community centre. We’ve been close ever since,” she admitted, reaching behind her to squeeze Madi’s hand.

Bellamy looked between the two of them, still a little confused. But eventually, he smiled again and nodded his head at Madi.

“It is nice to meet you, Madi. I hope to see you again soon,” he said, bowing his head a little. Madi giggled at Clarke’s side and Clarke almost joined her. He really was charming.

Bellamy looked at Clarke then. “And Lady Josephine, I wish you a pleasant stay and a good night.” He bowed his head again, a little deeper this time. Instinctively, Clarke curtsied again and when she looked up, she noticed his lips were twitching into a tiny, private smile.

He left the room with one more good-night and when Clarke closed the door behind him, she leaned hard against the door and slid down to the floor, blowing a raspberry. She ripped the hat off of her head and put it over her face.

Madi plopped down onto the floor in front of her with a sigh.

“Well, that was awkward,” she summed up.

Clarke didn’t even have the strength to argue.

***

The next morning, just as Clarke and Madi were about to leave for their weekend of facials and massages, s young girl with a scarily ramrod straight postured came knocking on their door and announced that Lady Josephine had been invited to a luncheon with Prince Bellamy, his sister and their mother— _the freaking queen_. Clarke smiled and nodded, all the while all her blood rushed to her head and she was dialling Josephine’s number the second the door closed behind the girl.

“He wasn’t supposed to be here!” Clarke whisper-shouted in a shrill voice once she’d been greeted by Josephine’s half-awake _hello_.

There was some rustling on the other side of the line but finally, Josephine was engaged.

“That’s what I was told—he was supposed to go to Spain to discuss some end of year financial matters. Why, what happened?”

Clarke sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I have no idea. He came by last night to say hi, said he was leaving in the morning. Only in the morning, I was invited to dine with him and his family. Well, you were. You need to come back!”

There was a strange noise on the line and it chilled Clarke’s blood. She had a bad feeling.

“That’s not really an option, at least not in time to make it to dinner—or anything else today. We may have gone to Monaco.”

Clarke choked on air. “ _You left the country_?!”

“A little bit, yeah,” Josephine confirmed. At least she had the decency to sound guilty. “But don’t worry about it. All you have to do it tell them how excited you are about the wedding, how honoured you are to join the family and it’s all good.”

“It is not!” Clarke protested. “What if someone recognises that I’m not you? Once again, we do look different.”

Josephine huffed. “No one is gonna suspect a thing so they won’t notice. And if anyone had a problem later, I’ll just tell them I had a bit of a nip and tuck, or something. It will be _fine_.”

“You really need to stop saying that.” Clarke sat down heavily on her bed and laid back, landing on the mattress. Her phone landed right next her ear. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

On the other end, Josephine called her name. “By the way, what’s the deal with you and Gabriel?” she asked.

Clarke frowned and picked up the phone again.

“What do you mean?”

“Are you two together? Dating, shagging? Cause I tried to make a move last night and he just smiled and said good-night. So?”

“You’re complaining about his manners?” Clarke asked with a chuckle. “Besides, you’re getting married.”

She didn’t want to sound judgemental but this whole conversation was making her uncomfortable and she couldn’t even tell if it was because of Josephine’s questions or because she couldn’t shake the thought of Bellamy finding out she’d been stepping out on him this close to the wedding—that _Josephine_ was, damn it. It was all so mind-boggling.

“Yeah, I’ve still got one more week of freedom and it’s not Middle Ages anymore, no one is expected to come to this pure and untouched. I’m sure the prince is getting it on while he still can as well.”

Clarke winced at the thought but stayed quiet. There was no point in dragging it further.

“So?” Josephine prompted. “Gabriel? Can I try again or are you two a thing?”

Clarke shuddered at the thought. Sure, she was aware that her friend was attractive but there was just something about having seen him pick his nose when they were kids that successfully prevented her from _ever_ considering him a romantic option.

She took another deep breath and hummed. “Do what you want. Just don’t hurt him,” she asked and pulled the phone away from her ear when Josephine squealed.

“Not unless he asks!” Josephine laughed.

Clarke shook herself and disconnected the call. She stared at the ceiling for a while and then got up with a long-suffering sigh.

She had a luncheon to prepare for, apparently.

***

Clarke stood in the doorway of Josephine’s closet, rubbing her hand over eyes.

“You know, you don’t have to do that,” Madi said, coming up from behind her. “You can just say that you’re not feeling well and stay here. It’s not like you’re actually getting anything out of this thing.”

“I already said that I would come,” Clarke reminded her. “Besides, I kinda am.”

Madi frowned.

“Josephine promised to get you an audition to the Arkadia Dance Academy—and to fund your scholarship if you get in,” Clarke explained with a sigh. Madi stared at her for a moment.

“You mean one of the top schools in the world? I’m gonna audition there?”

“Happy early Christmas,” Clarke smiled, putting her arm around Madi’s shoulders. She brought her in for a side hug and it seemed to shake Madi out of the shock. She wrapped her arms around Clarke’s middle and squeezed her tightly.

Then, she looked up, still frowning a little. “Clarke, you don’t have to do this for me, though. I’m probably not even good enough to get in, it’s not worth the trouble.

Clarke shook her head and cupped Madi’s cheek.

“You definitely are, sweetie. And you deserve that chance,” she assured the girl. “Besides, it’s not gonna be _that_ bad. Josephine’s right, no-one is gonna suspect that I’m an impostor. All I have to do is just smile and nod, and not get into any arguments.”

Madi snorted. “When have I even known you to be able to do that?”

They both laughed, hugging each other tightly. Eventually, Clarke pulled away and looked down.

“Okay, funny girl,” she smirked. “You gotta help me find something to wear so I can hopefully make a better impression than I did last night.”

***

When Clarke arrived in the dining hall, everyone was already there. Queen Aurora sat at the head of the table, talking to who Clarke assumed was princess Octavia, while the prince spoke to one of the staff members. Clarke froze mid-step when all three of them realised she had come in and looked straight at her. After a moment of panic, she curtsied awkwardly and it seemed to snap Bellamy out of his thoughts.

He leapt out of his seat and hurried to Clarke’s side, guiding her to the table.

“Lady Josephine,” he addressed her, pulling the chair out for her.

Clarke hesitated for a breath. She bowed her head, greeting the queen and when she answered with a smile, Clarke relaxed enough to force herself to sit down. Moments later, the staff brought out the food and for a while, she was able to focus on something else than three royals watching her every move.

“Lady Josephine,” the queen turned to her once the meal was over. Clarke’s head snapped to look at her when she realised it was spoken to her. She smiled tightly, not daring to say more than absolutely necessary.

“I’m very happy to welcome you in our home,” the queen greeted, smiling. “I hope you’re enjoying your stay.”

Clarke gulped and her eyes bulged out. She battled with herself for a split second, wondering if she should try and make herself sound more like Josephine but decided against it. Better not risk sounding ridiculous.

“Yes, very much, thank you. Arkadia is very beautiful.”

The queen smiled, satisfied. “As you can see, my son hasn’t left for his trip after all. Maybe the two of you could spend some time together before the wedding after all. Get to know each other a little better.”

Clarke opened her mouth but her throat was completely dry and she could hear her heart beating so loudly it was honestly a miracle that no-one else noticed.

“Mother,” Bellamy chastised in a stage whisper, clearly taking Clarke’s silence for rejection. “I’m sure Lady Josephine had already made plans and she wouldn’t want to change them on such short notice.”

Wishing to reassure him, Clarke glanced to her right and saw a blush tinting his cheeks. For some reason, it calmed her down enough to say something.

“Oh, but it’s no problem at all,” she said, forcing her lips into a smile. “I would love to spend my time with your majesty,” she spoke to Bellamy, cursing herself inwardly—it was like she wasn’t in control of her own brain anymore. Otherwise, why the hell would she have said that?!

“How about you go horse riding?” Princess Octavia proposed, smirking at them. “I heard you are quite a keen rider, Lady Josephine.”

Clarke couldn’t tell what it was about her but the princess had been looking at her strangely the whole meal—and that was odd enough because Josephine assured her the two of them had never even met.

Ignoring the somersaults her stomach had been making at the thought of mounting a horse for the first time in probably more than a decade, Clarke nodded her head. “I do enjoy it, yes. Unfortunately, I don’t have as much time to ride and I would want to,” she bluffed. Someone in Josephine’s position would probably pick horses as a hobby but Josephine herself didn’t strike her as one to spend too much time around a stable.

The princess hummed in response. Before she could speak again, her brother interjected.

“In that case, we should definitely go for it,” he said with a genuine smile and despite her better judgement, Clarke found all her defences crumble.

She agreed to a ride through a countryside and excused herself from the table, saying she needed to change. She all but ran out of the dining hall and when she rounded a corner, finally finding an empty corridor, she leaned heavily against a wall and breathed deeply.

Saying yes to an afternoon alone with prince Bellamy was possibly the stupidest thing she’d ever done in her life. But in that case, why was she so excited to go?

***

Bellamy led them and their horses down a lovely track through the mountains. Clarke found herself so amazed by the picturesque view that she was almost able to forget about how cold she was. The fleece leggings she’d put on weren’t the best choice for a horse ride through such open spaces in the middle of winter but that, paired with thick oversized jumper and two long-sleeved shirts was the most appropriate outfit she could find amongst Josephine’s clothes. It was clear the lady came to Arkadia expecting fancy parties and not exercise.

After a little more than an hour, they’d arrived at the top of a hill from which Bellamy was able to show Clarke all of Arkadia’s capital, pointing out some of the landmarks, most of which Clarke recognised from the first few days of sightseeing.

They stayed there for a while in perfect silence, just taking in the view. For all the insanity that came with Josephine’s plan, this one moment was worth it. Being able to see Arkadia like that, to visit the palace and travel through the countryside, it was all that Clarke’s father had always dreamt about. No matter what might happen next, Clarke would always be grateful for the chance to fulfil that dream.

She looked to Bellamy and startled when she realised he was already looking at her. They smiled at each other politely. Clarke took in a deep breath, smelling the fresh air.

“I was told that you postponed your trip to Spain,” she said, unsure—that’s what Jade her told her after the lunch. If the prince made an effort to spend time with his future wife—or so he thought, at the very least, Clarke could reciprocate the gesture on Josephine’s behalf. “You really didn’t have to do that just for me.”

The prince smiled again.

“It’s my pleasure, Lady Josephine,” he said. “It wasn’t anything that couldn’t wait.”

Clarke scrunched her eyebrows, trying to remember some of the newspaper headlines she saw around. “Was it about the new trade agreement the two countries are trying to work out?”

Bellamy’s head snapped up and he looked at Clarke with eyes wide, momentarily stunned by her question.

“It’s absolutely nothing for you to worry about,” he answered, waving his hand.

Clarke pulled her head back, taken aback but the dismissal. “Excuse me?”

The prince looked alarmed for a split second, frowning as he looked for a good answer.

“I just—I don’t think you need to bother yourselves with foreign affairs, all your attention should be directed at the wedding.”

“Oh, so you don’t believe I’m capable of focusing on two things at once?” Clarke scoffed, grabbing her horse’s reins, letting it know they were about to move. She clenched her teeth, growing frustrated.

Not that _she_ had any reason for it, it wasn’t _her_ relationship that would start with the prince thinking his wife was nothing more than an ornament on his arm. But it was her he was talking to, her question he waved off like her concerns were insignificant.

And that made her blood boil, no matter who it was directed at.

Bellamy seemed to understand that he had said the wrong thing. His eyebrows shot up and he looked quite alarmed.

“I—no, that’s—that wasn’t what I meant at all,” he backtracked. But frankly, Clarke wasn’t having it.

She nudged her horse, turning around.

“Then maybe you shouldn’t have said that,” she shot back and without giving him the chance to react, she trotted off, down the road back to the palace.

***

Back at the stables, Bellamy only caught up to her when Clarke had already dismounted her horse and tried to leave. Begrudgingly, she had to admit that way he very dramatically jumped off of his own horse to chase after her was pretty impressive but she would be damned if she let it show on her face.

She succeeded, too, because when they came face to face, he looked properly apologetic in reaction to her frown.

“I’m so sorry,” he started. He caught her wrist in a gentle hold and somehow, the warmth of his fingers reached Clarke through all her layers.

“I swear I wasn’t trying to make it sound like I wasn’t interested in having a conversation with you. Or to imply that you were incapable of—anything, really.” He spoke quickly, impassionedly, like he needed to make sure she’d hear him.

Bellamy scratched the back of his head with a bashful expression on his face and against her better judgement, it melted the block of icy annoyance deep in Clarke’s gut.

“Clearly, I failed.”

“Yes,” Clarke agreed shortly, lips pursed. Bellamy huffed a small chuckle.

“Okay, fair enough. All I wanted to say was, I don’t want you to worry about anything. The matters of the country will still be there after the wedding but for now, you should just enjoy yourself, have fun with the planning. Just—make it a happy memory.”

He squeezed his fingers around Clarke’s wrist and finally, she smiled. He sounded so genuine and distressed that she simply couldn’t stay mad at him anymore. Besides, it wasn’t like she’d never put her foot in her mouth before.

“Apology accepted,” she said with a smile, twisting her arm in his grip so that she ended up holding his hand. For all that she didn’t really believe in all that fairy-tale bullshit, she could’ve sworn that she felt electricity crackle when their fingers touched.

Bellamy grinned at her, relieved and happy.

“I’m glad to hear it.” He bowed his head and brought their joined hands to his lips, brushing the gentlest of kisses over Clarke’s knuckles. “And I can’t wait to see you tonight at the benefit.”

Slightly stunned, Clarke nodded her head. “Likewise,” she confirmed, curtsying on wobbly knees. She smiled back and realised that she didn’t even have to fake excitement about it. She was fricking charmed.

Bellamy let go of her hand and with a quick good-bye left the stables, leaving Clarke to stare at his behind—as he _left_ _her_ behind. Damn it!

Clarke was still smiling when he disappeared from view and in a way, it was like a mist had lifted and the whole conversation came back to her it all its glory.

_Did he fucking say_ ‘a benefit’ _?!_

***

“So, yeah, I may have forgotten to tell you about that,” Josephine admitted through the phone, an apologetic note in her voice.

“You think?!” Clarke huffed, falling down on the bed, slapping her hand over her eyes. Madi sat down next to her, patting her knee in sympathy.

There was some rustling on the other side of the line and they heard Gabriel’s voice coming from a distance. Josephine giggled and yelled back something that Clarke didn’t understand. She glared at the phone as if Josie could’ve seen her and rolled her eyes when she heard hysterical laughter and a shriek, followed by Gabriel’s muffled voice. Well, at least someone was having fun.

Josephine picked up the phone again.

“Okay, don’t worry,” she said, clearing her throat. “There’s a gown in my closet I brought specifically for this; and call Jade, she’ll get you to hair and make-up, and tell you all you need to know about the charity.”

She disconnected the phone with a quick ‘bye’ and left Clarke staring at the ceiling again, thinking that things were spinning out of control faster than she even thought was possible. She wasn’t even supposed to _meet_ Bellamy, much less spend time with him, get to know him—go on _dates_ with him. Her head was spinning.

As if reading her mind, Madi laid down on Clarke’s side and said, “again, you don’t have to do any of this. I know you made this deal with Josie but I don’t need any of it, not if it makes you this miserable.”

Clarke turned her head to the side and smiled at Madi.

“It’s not that, it’s not really that bad. It’s just—“ she exhales tiredly. “Every minute I spend with Bellamy, every word I say to him, I’m lying. He’s getting to know someone he’ll never see again after tomorrow and then, he’s gonna marry Josephine expecting—“

Her voice hitched. Clarke closed her eyes shut, suddenly feeling tears stinging her eyes.

“He doesn’t deserve this,” she finished in a small voice.

Madi stayed quiet for long enough that Clarke thought she wouldn’t say anything but then, she took Clarke’s hand and squeezed her fingers lightly.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured. “But it’s all the more reason not to do this.”

Clarke sighed. “He’s expecting me. He doesn’t deserve being stood up like that, either.”

With a huff, she sat up, rubbing her eyes. “Alright, you call Jade, I’ll go and find that dress,” she instructed.

For a moment, Madi looked at her like she wanted to ask something but ultimately decided against it, picked up Clarke’s phone and started dialling. Maybe it was for the better, Clarke figured. Something told her she wasn’t ready to answer.

***

A few hours later, Clarke stood at the foot of the grand staircase at the palace, wearing an incredibly beautiful dress that probably cost more than her flat, and entirely too much hairspray.

She never expected that a lifetime of attending her mother’s parties would be of any use to her but life can be surprising. And truth be told, all those years of rubbing elbows with the wheelers and dealers of her hometown were the only reason why she wasn’t curled up in a corner somewhere right now but instead, started climbing the stairs.

During preparations, Jade gave her the headlines about the charity this benefit was dedicated to and honestly, the more Clarke heard about it, the more she actually wanted to attend. The royal family championed a local orphanage that provide the children in its care with the opportunities to not only get a good education but also develop their artistic talents, which was obviously a cause close to her heart.

Still, her eagerness to show her support wasn’t nearly enough to overpower her nerves regarding spending more time with Bellamy; on the contrary, actually. She wanted to show all that enthusiasm towards something that, for all she knew, Josephine couldn’t care less about—which meant that one of them would have to tell yet more lies to Bellamy and his family. Clarke hated it.

It also didn’t help things that when she saw him waiting for her at the top of the stairs, dressed in a perfectly tailored tux and smiling widely, Clarke’s stomach filled with a whole swarm of very unwanted butterflies. Because apparently, reminding herself over and over that he wasn’t hers to desire was absolutely not working.

When she reached the top, Clarke came up to Bellamy and curtsied, mentally congratulating herself for not stumbling in those ridiculously high heels.

Bellamy chuckled and took her hand. “You know, you really don’t have to do this every time we see each other,” he said with a grin.

Clarke smiled back, grateful for all that make-up on her face, hiding her blush.

Bellamy offered her his elbow and Clarke put her arm around it but before they could walk away and into the ball room, they heard giggling.

Clarke looked around and saw a couple of kids hiding behind the banister, laughing and pointing at something. Frowning, she looked around but couldn’t see anything.

“There’s mistletoe above us,” Bellamy told her, jerking his head upwards with a half-smile. Clarke looked up and there it was, directly above their heads.

Her cheeks flamed when she looked down and at Bellamy and saw him looking at her in question. For a split second, all she could hear was her heart beating out of her chest in near panic but then, Bellamy leaned in just an inch, looking both eager and unsure, and all her reason went out the window.

Clarke leaned in too, at the exactly same moment that Bellamy moved and they ended up bumping their noses together. Bellamy huffed nervously and put his hand on Clarke’s that was still wrapped around his elbow, as if seeking support. In a sudden surge of bravery – and possibly stupidity – Clarke moved quickly and pressed her lips lightly against his cheek. She backed away just quickly enough to see his eyebrows raised in surprise but the pleasant expression painting his features was enough for her to feel even more warmth spreading through her.

Momentarily, Clarke wondered what the hell was she doing. She shouldn’t have even come here, much less kiss the prince, but when she looked up at him, all that disappeared. There was so much fondness in his eyes that against her better judgement, Clarke chose to just give in. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind that she’d somehow end up hurting later but in that very moment, she couldn’t bring herself to care about it. She was too focused on the way Bellamy’s strong arm felt underneath her finger tips, the confidence with which he lead her into the ballroom and the soft smile that appeared on his lips every time they looked at each other.

***

As it turned out, no amount of Abby Griffin’s parties could’ve ever prepared Clarke for the benefit. She managed the manners just fine but the splendour surrounding her was overwhelming.

Everywhere around, there were men wearing tuxedos so crisp, she was sure they were made just for this occasion alone and every woman she talked to was presenting jewellery that could pay for all the children at the orphanage to go to school for the rest of their lives and then some.

Not that any of them realised it.

There was some comfort in realising that no matter where she was, the people at those kinds of benefits only really cared about appearances but most of all, it was frustrating. Unlike her own volunteer work or even her mother’s efforts to raise money to buy equipment for their local paediatrics hospital, those were the people with actual power. They had the ear of the queen and yet all they cared about was if their donation was tax-deductible.

Apologising profusely, Bellamy left her alone a while ago, having been called away by the prime minister which meant that Clarke was free to roam the room. And the more questions she asked, the more frustrated she became.

When Bellamy appeared at her side again, apologising once again, she was silently fuming.

“Lady Josephine, is everything okay?” he asked quietly, discretely leading her away from the crowd.

Belatedly, Clarke realised that she had probably caused a bit of a scene but that was far away on her list of concerns—which was currently topped off by the way her stomach sunk at hearing Bellamy call her by that name. Soon though, that sting passed and she was back to her previous state of thinly-veiled annoyance.

Still, she smiled tightly, trying to sound reassuring when she said “I’m okay.”

Bellamy’s eyebrows remained lifted in concern. She sighed and rubbed her forehead.

“I’m sorry,” she said, deflating a bit. “I was just—this is such an important cause and I was trying to learn more about it but no-one I talked to could tell me what I wanted to know. And it’s not like I was asking them to recite the statutes, just to tell me what initiatives they were planning for next year, what are their goals or if they’re planning to expand and—“ she paused mid-rant seeing Bellamy’s expression.

“I’m sorry,” she repeated. “I know this is a party, not a board meeting.”

Bellamy took her hand. He rubbed her knuckles and every swipe of his thumb against her skin sent a new wave of sparks up Clarke’s arm, making it that much harder for her to focus. And he didn’t even seem to realise what he was doing.

“No, don’t apologise. I admire your passion, I know how important it is to you,” he said and Clarke stiffened slightly, somehow surprised that he remembered what she’d told him about Madi.

“Besides, you just made me realise that I don’t know those things either,” he added.

Clarke gaped. “Oh, no, I wasn’t trying to—“

Bellamy put his other hand out, offering it to Clarke. After a moment’s hesitation, she placed hers on top of it and felt herself being pulled gently towards the dancefloor.

“You were right to bring my attention to it, my lady,” Bellamy said faux-seriously, still tugging her with him. “If I put my name on something, I should know what that is, so I’ll make you a deal.” He put her left hand on his own shoulder, bringing them oh, so very close together. “You give me this one dance and tomorrow, we’ll go to the orphanage and stay there for as long as you’d like.”

Somehow, they were already dancing, Bellamy leading them into a gentle sway. Clarke practically giggled at the sneakiness, which brought a boyish smile to Bellamy’s face. She pretended to think about it for a moment, somehow absolutely certain that, despite his strong grip, Bellamy would let her go without an issue if she tried to pull away. But she didn’t do that. She probably should’ve but instead, she angled her body closer into his space and felt his hand travel lower rom between her shoulder blades, all the way to where he splayed his fingers at the small of her back.

They swayed together aimlessly, not even realising that the music had changed into something faster.

***

It was around midnight when the party started to die down and Bellamy had been called away once again, leaving Clarke at an empty table.

Having left her phone back at the hotel, all that Clarke had to do to occupy herself in that moment was to look around, admiring the beautiful ballroom. In fact, she was so focused on the intricate patterns adorning the nearby column that she didn’t notice princess Octavia until she sat down on the chair on Clarke’s left, staring at her intently.

“You’re not what I expected,” the princess announced without preamble.

Clarke’s eyebrows shot up before she could hide her surprise.

“Is that a good thing?”

The princess measured her up and down. “I don’t know yet. But my brother seems to like you.”

Clarke swallowed heavily, suddenly all her good mood from earlier dissipating.

“Good to know,” she said carefully, making the princess huff.

“What about you?” the princess asked, crossing her arms over her chest. “Do you like him?”

“Yes,” Clarke answered weakly, simply. And for the first time today, she felt she was telling the truth.

***

Next morning, Clarke was barely able to stay in her seat, waiting for Bellamy to pick her up for their visit at the orphanage. Both because she was excited about the trip and because she barely slept that night and had to keep herself awake with way too much coffee.

She spent most of the night involuntarily replaying every single interaction she’d had with Bellamy and when the breakfast had been brought to the room, she got up from the bed with a clear and simple conclusion that she was truly and thoroughly fucked.

Luckily enough, as everything in Arkadia, the orphanage was close enough that on the way, they barely had time to say hello to each other before they had arrived.

And then, Clarke didn’t have time to think about anything but the children at the orphanage. They’d spent the better part of the morning and the early afternoon listening to the kids, helping them decorate their tree and distributing presents. Clarke left that place with a fierce determination to convince Josephine to actually take interest with the charity and if that was the one good thing to come out of this mess, it would’ve have been worth it.

Clarke was so preoccupied with the visit that when she and Bellamy left to walk over to the main square for the traditional Christmas Eve lighting of the tree, she didn’t even notice Josephine was actually there until she saw her, Gabriel and Madi in the square, waiting amongst the crowd.

She stumbled over her feet in shock, catching herself on Bellamy’s arm and it brought his attention to where she was looking. Luckily, both Madi and Gabriel had enough sense to shield Josephine from Bellamy’s gaze. Madi came up to them, curtsying dramatically in front of Bellamy to distract him.

“Your highness,” she greeted him with a toothy grin and sent Clarke a knowing look.

“Madi, it’s so nice to see you,” Bellamy said with a genuine smile and even Madi blushed a little. Well, it did make quite an impression, to have a proper prince remember you. “Are you joining us for the ceremony?” he asked, waving his hand at the podium where his sister already stood, waving at the crowd.

Madi nodded enthusiastically and followed him and Clarke to the podium.

“So, they’re back?” Clarke murmured to Madi once they took their places at the back and Bellamy took the stage with a welcoming speech.

Madi nodded with a grimace. “Yeah, and something’s up,” she answered annoyed. “I mean, they’re not saying anything but I can feel it, Gabriel’s never been like that.”

Clarke felt dread pool in her stomach. She couldn’t even imagine what might’ve happened to make this whole situation even more messed up. Or rather, she was afraid to think about it.

She was so lost in her thoughts that when Bellamy and Octavia turned the lights on, she nearly jumped in surprise. Madi looked at her concerned, clearly reading her expression. She squeezed Clarke’s hand reassuringly. It was a good thing they were switching that night because Clarke seriously couldn’t take it anymore.

Still, she smiled warmly when Bellamy came back to them and took his offered elbow, so all three of them could walk off the podium together.

“Madi, I understand you’ve come here with Clarke for the wedding,” Bellamy asked when they were walking back to the car. “Would you like to come and spend the Christmas Day with us as well?”

Madi stopped mid-step, shooting Clarke an alarmed look. Neither one of them thought about what were Josie’s plan for the nearest future but it obviously made sense that she’d be spending the next day’s celebrations with her future husband’s family, seeing how the Lightbournes weren’t arriving until a few day before the wedding on the New Year’s Day.

“Uhm,” Madi hesitated, scratching the back of her head.

From behind Bellamy, Clarke nodded at her slowly and Madi agreed. Bellamy smiled at her and turned around to look at Clarke, pleased. Only she was anything but that. What was one more lie in order to protect her cover, right? What did it matter that not only did Bellamy seem fond enough of Madi but it seemed that he was ready to welcome her into the family, not knowing that come midnight she’d disappear from his life forever.

Well, it mattered to Clarke. After less than two days spent with Bellamy, it mattered to her that she had deceived him not only about herself but also about the person he was about to marry. And maybe it was incredibly selfish but it also mattered to her that there was something between the two of them. Something that Josephine wasn’t even interested in looking for—if she chose to run around Europe with Gabriel instead.

It was already dark outside when Bellamy dropped her and Madi in front of their hotel and Clarke was glad about it. Thanks to that, it was that much easier for her to hide her face from him when they said their goodbyes.

She was pretty sure he didn’t notice how much her hands were shaking when he wished her a good night, how her breath hitched when he said he couldn’t wait to see her on Christmas Day or the tears that pooled in her eyes when he kissed her cheek.

And she was damn near happy that he was long gone when she couldn’t keep those tears in anymore and started crying the second the elevator doors closed behind her.

***

Josephine and Gabriel came back literally two minutes to midnight and by then, Clarke had already pulled herself together. Madi didn’t even need to ask what was wrong, she just held Clarke and it didn’t escape Clarke’s attention how mature it was of her. She was growing into a brilliant, strong woman and Clarke couldn’t be more proud.

When they came in, Gabriel took one look at Clarke’s forced smile and he immediately knew that something was wrong but he didn’t ask—and she appreciated it, too. For all that Clarke had grown somewhat fond of Josephine and her antics, she didn’t feel like involving her in her heartbreak.

Only then, Josephine plopped down on one of the couches next to Clarke and something on her left hand caught her attention.

Clarke grabbed her wrist without a thought and gasped when she saw the sparkling but very plastic ring on her fourth finger.

“What the hell is that?!” Clarke exclaimed, yanking on Josie’s arm.

Josephine grinned wildly.

“We’re married, bitches!” she yelled and Clarke dropped her arm in shock.

“What?” she choked out after a moment to collect herself. She was blinking rapidly and rubbed her eyes.

“Are you insane?!” Clarke hissed, looking at Gabriel. The man had the decency to grimace but didn’t look too apologetic and Clarke was close to an apoplexy.

Still at her side, Josephine waved her hand. “Relax, it’s not binding. We just got drunk, saw this really cute chapel in one of the casinos and had the bartender marry us.”

Clarke dropped her head into her hands, elbows resting on her knees. Her head was spinning.

“So, a week before your wedding, you got drunk and your first instinct was to marry someone who isn’t your fiancé?” Clarke implored, taking deep, measured breaths but when Josephine just shrugged, all her work to calm down went to hell.

“What about the man waiting for you in the palace?” she asked, getting up. She needed to move or else she would explode. “Did you even think what he’d think about that if he ever found out?”

“Well, he isn’t gonna find out, _is he_?” Josephine snapped back sharply. Clarke frowned, momentarily genuinely scared of her. “Besides, he’s about as excited about this wedding as I am, no-one is getting their feelings hurt, trust me.”

Clarke tucked her chin into her neck. She could’ve believed Josephine was right, sure. If she hadn’t actually met Bellamy. It wasn’t all smooth sailing for them but Clarke truly believed that he was committed to making it work. Was he just pretending, just to be polite? It didn’t feel fake, though. He seemed to genuinely enjoy spending time with her, getting to know her.

And sure, in the long run, it wouldn’t matter how he was with her cause he’d basically have to start from scratch with Josephine, but even during those short two days, he seemed pleased. Almost excited about the prospect of marriage.

“He didn’t seem so indifferent to me,” Madi muttered from her spot on the other end of the couch.

Josephine looked at her then, eyebrows raised and an unreadable expression on her face. She looked almost—surprised. Like it was unthinkable for Bellamy to be enthusiastic about the wedding.

She waved her hand again, scoffing. “Never mind any of that. You’re all leaving the day after tomorrow and I’m getting married next week, for real. That’s what’s gonna happen, just as planned,” she said decidedly and looked at them all with a look that accepted no resistance.

Clarke sighed and looked over to Gabriel, who remained quiet through the entire exchange. It wasn’t unlike him, not to get involved in someone else’s argument but this was concerning him quite a bit, too.

“How do you feel about all that?” she asked. “I assume you were there too, getting fake married.”

Gabriel hesitated for a moment, his eyes flitting to Josephine before he looked back at Clarke with a hint of regret in his gaze. He cleared his throat.

“It’s like she says,” he finally decided with a short nod. “It didn’t matter.”

Clarke looked at him for a moment; really looked at him. His shoulders were hunched and his brow was furrowed but there was determination painting his features, and she knew—of course it mattered. It may have started just as a little bit of fun but he started to feel something. But Josephine was going back to his original plan and so would Gabriel.

Clarke huffed, supressing a very inappropriate chuckle. Two days they spent with their new people and stupidly, they both fell for them. They were quite a pair, weren’t they?

“Okay then,” Clarke agreed, throwing her hands up. “It’s gonna be like nothing ever happened.”

***

Despite their best efforts to play it cool, none of them were in the best of moods on Christmas Day.

They didn’t talk about it, chose to ignore the elephant in the room but it stayed there, in the periphery of their vision and even Madi was in a foul mood, so the Christmas dinner they prepared back at their cabin was a rather gloomy event.

They ate, they had a drink and then, they all went to their rooms to pack before they had to leave the next morning.

After Clarke laid down in her bed, willing herself to sleep, she stupidly picked up her phone and scrolled through the Arkadia news feed and there it was—the queen’s Christmas address. Clarke kept the phone on mute, not really interested in the speech. Instead, she stared at the background of the frame where the prince and princess stood side by side. And a step behind them, there was Josephine, wearing a beautiful red dress and a forced smile.

But Clarke only barely spared her a glance. Instead, she was entirely focused on Bellamy—she stared at him for the whole duration of the video and she wasn’t sure what to think. On one hand, there was a slight tightness around his eyes, like he couldn’t quite relax; but for all she knew, that’s just how he was during public appearances that were televised for the whole country.

But on the other, he looked perfectly normal with his sister on one side and his fiancée on the other. If there was even a chance he suspected anything amiss with Josephine, he didn’t show it. For all the world to see, everything was perfectly alright.

It’s not that Clarke wanted him to notice the switch, of course she didn’t. That was the whole point of this exercise, to never let Bellamy know it ever happened. But she and Josephine were so little alike, knowing that he never even noticed that, it stung.

***

Clarke sank into the uncomfortable plastic seat at the Arkadia airport and pulled her wool hat over her eyes, hoping to zone out until it was time to board their plane back home.

This really wasn’t how she thought their trip would go. Granted, her dating history wasn’t anything to write home about but seriously, falling for a prince of an European country while he wholeheartedly believed she was someone else had definitely topped the list of all the stupid things she’d done in her life.

On her right, Gabriel sat in a very similar position and a part of Clarke wanted to talk to her best friend about all that happened but even without this strange unspoken agreement they had never to speak of it again, she was still a little ticked off about what happened with him and Josephine.

He knew what the situation was, that Josephine was getting married, and he still chose to do who knows what with her, to exchange their own vows, for goodness sake.

So instead, they both just sat together, enveloped in a loaded silence, and waited for Madi who went to pick up coffee for all of them.

The crackling of the PA system coming to life jerked them all back to consciousness and Clarke grumbled, annoyed at having her doom and gloom interrupted.

“Clarke Griffin, please report to the information desk”, the bored voice requested, making her bolt into an upright position. “Clarke Griffin to the information desk.”

Clarke looked around and patted herself, checking if she hadn’t lost anything but all her stuff was where it was supposed to be. Frowning, she stood up and looked at Gabriel, who was wearing the same confused expression. Madi came back to them then, hurrying with the cups. Clarke shrugged wordlessly and walked away.

Only she never _actually_ made it to the information desk. As soon it appeared in her line of sight, she was intercepted by a strangely familiar-looking security guard who led her to the private area and handed her over to yet another security guard.

Then, at the endo of the corridor, she found Bellamy’s bodyguard, standing in front of an office. She faltered in her step, wondering what the hell was going on.

Miller acknowledged her with nothing more than a nod and as he reached for the handle to open the door for her, Clarke’s breath hitched in her throat. She hesitated for a second, scared of what she might find on the other side. She didn’t dare hope that Bellamy was there for anything other than telling her exactly how much he hated her for lying.

But when Clarke finally walked through that door, Bellamy wasn’t there at all.

Instead, Josephine sat on top of a desk, looking uncharacteristically sheepish.

“Hi,” Josie said, smiling faintly.

Still frowning, Clarke came closer and through a window at the back of the room she noticed that someone was guarding the other door as well. She wondered what was this place, whose office did Josephine commandeer and how exactly did she managed to get there with the entire entourage without alerting all the passengers to their presence.

Honestly, she thought about literally anything other than why was Josephine there in the first place.

“Right, okay,” Josephine cleared her throat when Clarke still said nothing, too busy losing her mind. She stood up and the clicking of her heels on the linoleum snapped Clarke out of her stupor.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, finally finding her voice.

Josephine took a breath. “I told him.”

Clarke opened her mouth, shocked. But nothing came out, her mind was completely blank. Josephine sighed.

“He knows that it was you, that I chose to leave with—well, with another man. He knows that you are the person he was excited to marry,” she said with a weak smile and at her words, Clarke’s head snapped back so hard it actually hurt.

“What?!” she hissed. “Why would you do that?”

“Because I don’t want to marry him any more than he wants to marry me,” Josephine answered with a small shrug. “Because you were right and he didn’t deserve being lied to. Because it was the difference between four people being miserable and having the chance to be happy instead,” she listed, wringing her hands together.

Clarke made a strange noise and she was sure her head was spinning so fast that eventually, her brain would just leak out of her ears. She sat down into a chair and took long, deep breaths.

“What about—what about the wedding? Wasn’t your father determined? Or the queen?”

Josephine hummed and sat down next to Clarke, putting her hand on Clarke’s knee with a reassuring squeeze. “My dad will be fine, Bellamy already promised to consider all kinds of new agreements with Sanctum. Besides, dad never forced me to do it, I just agreed when he floated the idea. But that was before—“ she paused, suddenly almost shy.

Clarke smiled at her. “Before Gabriel?”

“Yeah,” Josephine agreed with an amused grimace. “He’s unlike anyone I’ve ever met.”

“I know that feeling,” Clarke chuckled. “He cares about you, too. A lot,” she said and immediately, Josephine perked up. Honestly, it was sweet to see her so smitten. Wild as Josephine was, she made Gabriel happy and he deserved all the happiness.

She just wished it was a happy ending for all of them but it seemed that Bellamy didn’t want to see her again. She couldn’t blame him.

Josephine stood up, her gaze drifting to the door. Clarke smirked, joining her.

“He’s in the waiting area, _waiting_ ,” she told Josephine. The other woman grinned and threw her arms around Clarke’s neck, hugging her tightly. Clarke gasped in surprise but reciprocated, smiling.

Somewhere behind her, Clarke could hear the door open and she figured the guards guessed it was the end of conversation. Josephine waved her hand at whoever came inside, beckoning them closer. Only then, instead of waiting, she grabbed the handle on the door closest to them and opened it.

She blew Clarke a kiss and winked. “Good luck,” she sing-songed and stepped out of the room. Momentarily, Clarke stood stunned, not sure what to do with herself. Then, she heard footsteps and—

“Clarke,” Bellamy said quietly from behind her. Clarke spun around, eyes bugging out. And damn, if she thought her head was scrambled before…

“What are you doing here?” she asked with a weak whine. The rush of emotions was already overwhelming but finally hearing Bellamy call her by her own name seemingly brought her over the edge. She squeezed her eyes shut and dropped her head, willing her tears away. She had already cried way more than she found acceptable.

“Clarke, can you please look at me?” Bellamy asked, coming closer. He put his hand under her chin, lifting her head up lightly.

Her vision was somewhat blurred but she could see the smile on his face. She honestly didn’t deserve that smile.

“I’m _so_ sorry,” the words rushed out of her mouth.

“It’s okay.”

She scoffed, full of disbelief. “No, it isn’t!” she insisted. “We lied to you.”

“Well, yeah,” Bellamy agreed. He flashed her a crooked smile. “Not about the important things, though.”

Clarke sent him a unimpressed look. “Bellamy,” she protested. No matter how happy she was to see him, it didn’t excuse what she did and she wanted him to acknowledge it.

“Look, I,” he said but stopped himself with a huff. He moved his hand to cup her cheek and his warm fingers against her skin were making Clarke lose her resolve about arguing with him. All she wanted was for him to hold her.

“Clarke, when Josephine told me what happened, I was relieved,” Bellamy said. Clarke gaped at him. “I spent the Christmas dinner with her and it was just so—different. And I was so disappointed, I thought I imagined all that happened between us, the connection.”

He inhaled deeply and for the first time, Clarke notice that he was nervous, too. Like he still wasn’t sure if he hadn’t made it all up.

Clarke blinked and smiled at Bellamy, blindly reaching for his free hand, intertwining their fingers together.

“I didn’t know if the person I wanted to marry was still there,” he said, brushing his fingers over the side of her face. “But you are, aren’t you?”

The sense of his words finally registered and Clarke huffed a bout of laughter. Bellamy frowned and went to remove his hand but Clarke squeezed his fingers instead and he just moved it to her neck, his fingers twitching against her pulse point.

“You can’t want to marry me,” she protested weakly. “You’re going to be a king one day and I’m not a princess or a duchess, or—“ she huffed. “I’m a painter from Chicago.”

“And you can still be a painter here,” Bellamy assured her.

Clarke chuckled with a sniffle. “You’ve known me for two days.”

Bellamy moved his hand in hers and brought them both together to his lips. He placed a small kiss over her knuckles.

“And I’ve had more to talk to you about in those two days than I’ve had with anyone else in two years,” he insisted. Then, he shook his head. “But if that’s not what you want—“

“It is!” she interrupted hastily. “I just—I don’t want you to wake up in a week or a month and regret it. I couldn’t take it.”

Bellamy’s features softened impossibly.

“I won’t. I love you.”

Clarke let out a noise. “You can’t love me,” she protested, her heart breaking. More than anything, she wanted to say the same to him but this was insane and they weren’t some kids. She couldn’t let him do it.

But Bellamy clearly saw through her self-sacrifice and wasn’t having any of it. He kissed her hand again.

“Just tell me one thing. Do you want this?” he asked, gesturing between them with their joined hands.

“Yes,” Clarke answered truthfully, unable to resist his hopeful gaze after all. “More than anything.”

Bellamy smiled. “Then let’s give it a chance. And if you still feel the same a year from today, will you marry me then?”

A single tear rolled down Clarke’s cheek. She wasn’t able to keep it all in anymore. All that love and unexpected happiness was bursting out of her.

“Of course I will,” she whispered, not trusting her voice to stay even.

Bellamy grinned at her, eyebrows raised and head nodding, like he was trying to make sure. “Yeah?”

“Yes,” Clarke said.

Bellamy surged forward, the hand on her neck bringing her closer to him. Their lips met halfway in a passionate kiss that left Clarke’s head spinning.

After a moment, Bellamy moved away, despite Clarke’s protests and her trying to kiss him again. Instead, he put his arms around her middle and yanked her into a bruising hug. She wrapped her arms around his head for balance and laughed straight into his ear.

“I love you,” she confessed, finally allowing herself this craziness. “I love you.”

**Author's Note:**

> i hope you liked this! thank you so very much for reading. comments and kudos will be welcomed like manna ;-)  
> come and find me on tumblr @[carrieeve](https://carrieeve.tumblr.com).


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